Hoops Primer: Auburn to host talented SLU team

No. 13 Auburn will look to shake off its worst shooting night of the season when the Tigers host Saint Louis on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Saint Louis (5-1) is one of the best non-P6 teams in the country and capable of beating Auburn (6-0), especially if the Tigers have another shooting night like we saw against Northwestern — Auburn’s worst shooting performance since 2020.

The game features a SLU team that can attack some of Auburn’s weaknesses, a great point guard battle between Yuri Collins and Wendell Green Jr., and Auburn’s No. 9 defense vs. SLU’s No. 16 offense.

Sunday’s matchup is Auburn’s home leg in a three-game series that started in 2019-20 with a 68-61 victory over SLU in Birmingham. Auburn also won in 2021-22 74-70 at SLU. 

In terms of KenPom ranking, this is the best SLU team Auburn will play over that stretch by almost 40 spots.

More on SLU

The Billikens do a lot well on offense. SLU is in the top half nationally in two and three point percentage, free throws attempted, and more. The Billikens are also top 30 in offensive efficiency, turnover percent, free throw percentage, and non-steal turnover percentage.

The Billikens only loss of the season came against KenPom’s No. 24 Maryland team. SLU has wins against Providence, Murray State, Memphis, Evansville, and D2 Paul Quinn.

This team is different from some of the glass-crashing, rebounding minded SLU teams of the past. 

SLU is built for some of Auburn’s weakness 

Usually SLU is one of the top rebounding teams in the country. Luckily for Auburn, SLU doesn’t have the interior presence it normally does, but I wouldn’t be surprised if SLU attacks the glass more against Auburn. The potential to win the rebounding battle is still there for the Billikens.

This is a game Auburn can lose if it gets dominated by SLU on the glass or has trouble with the Billikens’ perimeter size. Auburn has had problems shooting and rebounding against teams with good size this season, so it’ll be something to watch.

In addition to Collins at 6-0, SLU also boasts 6-4 and 6-5 starters on the perimeter. Saint Louis’ guards are excellent at limiting turnovers, which could keep Auburn out of transition.

SLU still has Francis Okoro and Javon Pickett down low who are top 100 rebounders. Okoro will also be a good test for Johni Broome.

The point guard battle

Yuri Collins vs. Wendell Green Jr. will always be a matchup worth watching.

Green’s defense has looked good this season, so I’ll be watching how often Auburn matches up Green and Collins on defense. 

The defense Allen Flanigan, Zep Jasper, and Chance Westry offer against lead guards might be better detterent for Collins. Either way, seeing how Auburn handles Collins this year will be fun and insightful for the rest of the season.

Auburn had done a good job of quieting Collins in the last, but SLU’s point guard is playing better than ever this season.

Collins had 13 points, 8 assists, 6 turnovers, and 3 steals against Auburn last season. In the first meeting, he had 6 points, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, and 1 steal.

This season, Collins is averaging 12.8 points and 10.7 assists per game. He had 22 points and 9 assists against a top 20 Memphis defense.

Green has looked like Auburn’s most important catalyst at times this season, but there have also been stretches of poor play from Auburn’s point guard. If Green is ready to have the season he’s capable of having, a good game in his biggest matchup so far would be reassuring. 

Green losing the matchup wouldn’t be the end of the world with how good Collins is, but Green needs to have good games against players of that caliber for Auburn to thrive. 

Auburn’s advantages

Javon Pickett is a 6-5 power forward. Auburn should be able to dominate and target that matchup with Jaylin Williams and Yohan Traore — and potentially Broome.

The Tigers have had trouble in the past of targeting post scorers, but Broome and Green have changed that. Auburn also likes to let its bigger wings and forwards post up smaller defenders, so I see this being an area Auburn attacks often.

SLU has also had some rough shooting nights, shooting 20 percent from three against Providence and 25 percent against Maryland. While SLU’s offense ranks as one of the best in the county, the Billikens haven’t been unstoppable on that end, and Auburn has the defense needed to give them trouble. 

Saint Louis did have a good shooting night against a top 20 defense in Memphis, but i think Auburn will make things even more difficult.